More Signs a Mediterranean Diet Helps Prevent Cardiovascular Ills

There's fresh evidence that a Mediterranean diet can help cut the risk of artherosclerosis, a disease caused by the buildup of plaque in the arteries.

A new analysis, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, builds on the work of a prior study,
which looked at how a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains,
nuts, fish and healthful oils - namely olive oil - cuts the risk of
heart attacks and strokes.

That earlier study found that the risk was 30% lower for people eating the Mediterranean diet compared with
those on a standard low-fat diet.

The new analysis looked specifically at
how a Mediterranean diet influences the development of peripheral artery
disease. This is a common condition among older men and women in which
arteries narrowed by atherosclerosis cut off the flow of blood to limbs
such as legs and feet.

The study, which included some 8,000 men and women in their 60s
and 70s, had participants follow a Mediterranean diet with extra olive
oil, a Mediterranean diet with extra nuts, or a standard low-fat diet.

The researchers found that the people on the Mediterranean diets had
less buildup of fatty deposits in their arteries compared with the men
and women on the low-fat diet.

"We were surprised because of the
great magnitude" of the association between the diet and the reduced
risk of PAD, study author Miguel Martinez-Gonzalez, a researcher at the University of Navarra in
Spain, tells us in an email.

"This is a very important step in
confirming a truly causal relationship between the [Mediterranean-style
diet] and cardiovascular protection."

As we've reported, there are a
host of beneficial compounds in olive oil that may play a role in
reducing inflammation and build up of fatty deposits.